Bauer: Rid U.S. campuses of anti-Semitism

Few topics provoke as much passion on America's college campuses as the constellation of issues surrounding Israel and Islamic terrorism.

On the 13th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, I had an opportunity to discuss these issues in a speech before hundreds of college students. What I found gave me hope as a supporter of Israel's right to exist as a Jewish state. It may surprise many Americans, but anti-Semitism has slithered out from under its rock in Europe and across the globe.

During Israel's recent war against Hamas in Gaza, synagogues across Europe were firebombed and kosher supermarkets looted. Anti-Israel demonstrations included violent mobs chanting genocidal slogans such as "Hamas, Hamas, Jews to the gas!"

Israel enjoys more support in the United States than it does in Europe. One exception has always been college campuses.

In the past, some American universities restricted the admission of Jewish students and the hiring of Jewish professors. Today, groups like Students for Justice in Palestine and the Muslim Student Association, along with vehemently anti-Israel professors, contribute to a culture that can make Jewish students and supporters of Israel feel unwelcome.

A 2011 study by the Institute for Jewish and Community Research found that more than 40% of 1,400 students surveyed said that anti-Semitism existed on their campus.

I am used to getting attacked for my beliefs. For believing that unborn human beings should be protected under the law, I've been called anti-woman. For championing the idea that children deserve a mother and a father, I have been labeled a bigot.

But I rarely experience the same level of hatred that greets me in my advocacy for the idea that Israel should be allowed to exist as a Jewish state and the notion that we should believe the jihadists when they tell us that they are inspired by Islam.

So when I accepted an invitation to deliver a speech at the University of North Carolina for an event titled "Reflections on Sept. 11th," I assumed there would be trouble.

My apprehension grew when I heard that some professors at the school were not happy about my being invited to speak and that the anti-Israel Students for Justice in Palestine was planning to disrupt the event.

But my apprehension disappeared once I arrived on campus. There were a few demonstrators, and some heckling as I started my remarks. But I was welcomed by a huge turnout from the local community as I discussed the reasons behind the 9/11 attacks and warned that we must remain vigilant against future attacks by Muslim extremists.

The audience received my message openly. And several students approached me after the event to thank me for offering a view they weren't hearing elsewhere on campus.

There have been other reasons for hope lately. A 2014 report by the Anti-Defamation League found that "In the last decade we have witnessed a significant and encouraging decline in the number and intensity of anti-Semitic acts in America," including a "significant decrease" of incidents on campus.

These findings are no doubt partly a result of the work that pro-Israel groups are doing to make campus life more hospitable to Jewish students and supporters of Israel.

The ADL has a program that trains incoming students to identify and fight anti-Semitism at school. And Christians United for Israel (on whose executive board I serve) works to cultivate solidarity with Israel through our "CUFI on Campus" program.

There is a long, difficult battle ahead, but these efforts provide hope that anti-Semitism masquerading as anti-Zionism will someday be kicked off campus.

What encouraged me most during the North Carolina event was an exchange I had during the question-and-answer segment of my presentation. A college-aged Palestinian woman engaged me in a spirited debate about Islam's role in terrorism. Then she said that she wanted to apologize on behalf of her faith for the terrible things done to Americans in the name of Islam.

It was a disarming remark, and one that was met with hearty applause from the assembled students. It also gave me hope for a future in which Israel and Islamic terrorism can be discussed and debated with the intellectual openness that is supposed to define the college experience.

Former presidential candidate Gary Bauer is president of American Values and chairman of the Campaign for Working Families.

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